"Know No Evil"

There is so much sin and evil around us. Sometimes my heart goes out to those who work around more than normal ungodliness. I recently had a brother in Christ share with me that he worked in an office with three professed homosexuals. They spoke openly of it and have convinced other office workers that it is an acceptable lifestyle. It reminds me of what God's word speaks: "And if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds..." (II Pet. 2:7-8) I can only imagine what some of my brethren must go through daily. That's why I pray for you. I wished every preacher would work in the world system before entering preaching for a local congregation. It would open their eyes to what my brethren face on a daily basis.

What are we to do with all the evil? We need to not be touched by it. We don't need to find out more evil and what is going on in the lives of people. Sometimes we know too much, which is not good. Paul reminded the Roman brethren: "...but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil." (Rom. 16:19) The more we find out about evil, it can do us great harm. We need to stay away from evil, from listening to evil and searching out evil. Paul reminded the Thessalonian brethren to "examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." (I Thes. 5:21-22) The form, the appearance of evil needs to be turned away from. What value is there in knowing/learning evil? I once heard a brother in Christ give a short lesson at a devotional and he spoke openly and boldly about sex and the sexual practices of many he had encountered through his profession. What would drive a person to speak such to the holy, pure people of God? What was the spiritual value in knowing such?

Jesus praised the faithful brethren at the church at Thyatira by saying: "But I say to the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them - I place on other burden on you." (Rev. 2:24) We don't need to be studying or looking into the things of Satan! We need to be keeping our minds and heart pure for the Lord.

This world is difficult with error and evil all around us. We can't escape the world but we need to live as light in the dark world of sin and death so people can see the true light of God through the gospel. Sometimes we know too much about evil and not enough about the purity of the Lord. "To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled." (Titus 1:15) Let's live for the Lord and know no evil!